


The Further I Fall

by hellowkatey



Series: Febuwhump 2021 [13]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Jedi Apprentice Series - Jude Watson & Dave Wolverton, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: FebuWhump2021, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hurt/Comfort, Planet Hoth (Star Wars), Protective Anakin Skywalker, References to Star Wars Legends, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:22:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29436741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellowkatey/pseuds/hellowkatey
Summary: A simple recon mission on Hoth turns into the discovery of a chilling operation.Part 1/3[Febuwhump day 13: hiding injury]
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody & CT-7567 | Rex, CC-2224 | Cody & Obi-Wan Kenobi, CT-7567 | Rex & Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker
Series: Febuwhump 2021 [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2138259
Comments: 4
Kudos: 52





	The Further I Fall

With a parka zipped all the way up to his chin, hood up, two layers of snow pants, and his arms crossed against his chest loosely (since his many layers of clothing have decreased his range of motion), General Skywalker has never looked more like a pouting child. Rex watches in utter amusement as he quarrels with a very tired looking General Kenobi.

"Hoth? You realize when people describe cold icy hells, they are actually talking about Hoth, right?" 

"We're not taking a vacation, Anakin, this is a _mission_ and you are welcome to stay on the ship if you are afraid of a little chill," the Jedi Master replies without even looking up from his datapad. It is an absolute wonder to Rex that Kenobi has put up with Skywalker for over a decade now. He's known the guy for like a year and even that has been draining, albeit, amusing in most cases. 

His pouting only increases at that suggestion. "I'm not afraid. And I can't let you go alone, either." 

"Cody and Rex will be with me," he says, glancing up as Cody walks into the room in his own cold-weather gear. "Really, Anakin, it's just a recon mission. Checking on a crashed Separatist ship and then we're done." he finally looks at his former padawan. "So are we going to complain, or get this over with?" 

The younger Jedi grumbles something that Rex can't hear and stomps away. Sometimes he forgets that Skywalker is still very young. Practically a teenager-- why they gave a teenager another teenager of his own is beyond him, but the Jedi seem to operate a little differently than logic would suggest. He supposes he can't really argue since his brothers are all technically pre-teens in standard time, but at least they have adult development and the ability to grow facial hair. 

Rex leans over to Cody and elbows him in the ribs. "How long do you think your Jedi lasts until he blows up on Skywalker?" 

Cody raises an eyebrow. "Are you _bettering_ on our generals getting into a fight?"

"Uh, yeah. Have you met them?" 

A pause. "Okay, are we talking a verbal or physical fight..." 

By the time they reach the surface of Hoth, Rex is shocked by the cold that immediately cuts straight to his bones. No matter how many layers he thought was sufficient, he was wrong. Luckily his armor hides the shake of his body and his helmet modulates out the chattering of his teeth.

"We shall make this quick," General Kenobi yells over the wind as they walk from the ship. It takes a moment for Rex to see it through the raging storm, but he soon can make out the outline of a Separatist cruiser half-buried in the snow. Their intelligence indicated it crashed only a week ago by Hoth standards, but you wouldn't know it by looking at the ice-covered ship. Already it seems to be feeling the effects of the cold, some parts looking to be concaved in either from the crash or the weight of the snow. The ship is quickly becoming a permanent part of the landscape. 

They find an entrance and slip into the ship, which is thankfully resting on its belly. Thankfully, these ships are made for deep space and have the insulation to keep the cold out at least a little bit. Rex can see the general's breaths forming clouds, but it's better than the bitter windchill from outside. 

"What a dump," Skywalker mutters as they traverse the ruined halls.

"Agreed," Rex whispers back. They aren't exactly sure what they'll find-- hopefully an operational computer they can download data from, but taking out a few cold clankers would also be a plus. So far all the droids seem to have had a bad time in the crash. Their parts are scattered around at random, a head here, half an arm there. Rex and Cody kick a ball socket from the hinge of their elbows back and forth to one another as they walk. 

"So let me get this straight," Skywalker starts, an edge in his voice that Rex knows well. "They sent two Generals, and two high ranking troopers to walk through an abandoned ship at the edge of hell?" 

"You must be forgetting the part of the council meeting where they assigned only _you_ to the mission, and you managed to rope me into accompanying you." 

Skywalker grimaces, and Rex smirks under his mask. "But what about Rex and Cody?" 

"They volunteered." 

"Someone's got to watch your back, sir," Rex grins. 

Maybe the universe decided to make Rex put his credits where his mouth is because the ship lets out a low groan and suddenly their horizontal trek down the hall becomes vertical. Rex hardly has time to react before falling onto his back and slipping down the hallway like some sort of demented slide. 

"Hold on!" he hears General Kenobi yell out, and suddenly Rex is being thrown in a direction that is not in line with gravity. He and Skywalker collapse into a heap on the wall beside a blast door, Rex's armor crashing into the electrical panel and shattering the display. The door slams closed with an echoing boom. 

"Obi-Wan!" Skywalker groans, looking wide-eyed around the wall they now sit on. "Self-sacrificing, bastard," he curses, realizing that he and Rex are alone on one side of the blast door, and assumedly Kenobi and Cody are on the other. He reaches for his commlink to contact Cody, but to his dismay, that too was crunched in the fall. 

"Alright, the ship's structural integrity is probably compromised so we ought to--"

Skywalker doesn't wait for whatever Rex has to say before thrusting his lightsaber into the wall. _I don't know why I even try_. 

If there is an argument he knows he can't win, it's anything that involves getting between the Jedi. Rex learned very quickly it is better to just let them do whatever it is they think is the next step. Skywalker cuts out a circle in the wall and moments later it drops into the hallway below. Rex internally counts how long it takes to hit-- 1...2...3...4...5...6

The piece of durasteel slams into something that is definitely not the wall of a ship. It makes a transperisteel-like shattering noise that resonates back up through the vertical corridor, but that is not what concerns Rex primarily. The time it took to fall makes him nervous. He glances up at the Jedi, wondering if he too is concerned they heard no noise from below. No yell of surprise at a falling piece of durasteel or even talking amongst the General and Cody. 

"I got you, Rex," Skywalker says, standing at the edge of the hole. Rex, again, knows what's coming. The Jedi doesn't think twice before jumping down through the hole, and Rex-- having done this song and dance a few times with the Jedi follows close behind. He's plummeting through complete darkness, the updraft nearly sending his helmet flying off his head. Rex squeezes his eyes shut, knowing nothing he does now can save him-- it's up to Skywalker. 

Sure enough, he gets the strange sensation of the air around him thickening, slowing his velocity until he is practically floating right above the floor. His general releases him from his Force powers, and Rex's boots land with a solid thud on the ground. From the light of Skywalkers' saber, he can see why the durasteel circle didn't make the noise he expected-- it appears in this portion of the ship was torn apart, giving way to the interior of an icy glacier. 

So where are Kenobi and Cody? 

"Rex," General Skywalker says, having walked up ahead a little further. He can now see the large tunnel that goes deeper into the icy mountain. There is a clammer, and then to the clone captain's surprise, the tunnel illuminates. Skywalker stands at a control panel, staring pensively down the lit-up passage.

"Sir, I don't think this ship crash was an accident," Rex says. He scans the entrance using a thermal scan in his helmet. Most of it is a bright white or blue, but thankfully there are faint yellow footprints leading down the tunnel. Two pairs of them. Rex walks up next to Skywalker, turning off the display. "Looks like General Kenobi and Cody decided to check it out."

Skywalker seems to have relaxed by this news, shaking his head. "And they didn't even think to wait for us." 

* * *

As much as Obi-Wan was hoping he would have the time to use the Force to cushion his own fall, he supposes slamming into a wall of ice and snow works as well. The sudden change of medium surprises him, as he was expecting to reach out for a durasteel wall. 

The impact knocks the wind out of him completely, and for a few long moments, he's worried he'll blackout. Pins and needles run up his arms and legs, but he isn't sure if it's due to the cold or the fall.

Thankfully, the shift of the ship must have caused a blanket of fresh powder to gather in the exact spot he landed, giving him just enough cushioning to keep him conscious. While Anakin might argue this is a moment for him to believe in luck, Obi-Wan would argue that the shard of ice that has embedded itself in his back would beg to differ. 

He lies there for a moment, a little afraid to move just yet. Obi-Wan takes a quick assessment of his condition. The shard isn't horribly long-- maybe the length of his thumb, and it seems to have missed his vital organs. 

The concern will be for his ribs. He can definitely feel at least one broken-- if not completely shattered-- which could be bad news if he has to move too much. 

In summary, he will live. He will be fine once they get off this Force-forsaken wasteland, and an upside to the cold is it will make him numb to the pain for a little while. Nature's anesthetic. 

Obi-Wan hears rustling around nearby. He wonders who landed with him-- he's fairly sure he managed to get two to safety on the other side of the blast doors and aid the fall of a third down to the lower levels with him. A moment later, the visor of Commander Cody appears over him.

"General! Are you alright?" 

_Okay, so Cody is here, meaning Rex and Anakin are above._ Sure enough, when he reaches out with the Force, he senses two strong presences nearby. They appear to be uninjured, which is a relief. Obi-Wan lifts his hand, ignoring the sharp pain that comes from his side as he does so. "Quite alright, Cody." The commander helps him to his feet, and Obi-Wan finally gets a better look at their location. 

"It seems the ship was resting on a hinge point, and our weight caused it to topple, sir." 

"Fantastic," he says dryly. "And conveniently it has deposited us at the mouth of some sort of tunnel or cave." 

"Appears so." 

"My old master used to tell me there was no such thing as coincidences," he says shaking his head. Of _course,_ a simple recon mission would turn into finding a secret hideaway. The question is, _who's_ hideaway? "Shall we?"

They begin down the hall, Obi-Wan allowing Cody to lead while he covertly tears off pieces of his tunic and stuffs them into the puncture wound to keep pressure. When he's finally satisfied that the makeshift bandage will hold for a little while he catches up with the commander. As they get deeper into the passage, the icy tunnel turns more and more manufactured. Durasteel beams offer supports, and Obi-Wan spots some lighting periodically. _Perhaps it is a good thing the lights aren't on_... _hopefully means nobody is home._

"Who in their right mind would set up shop on _Hoth_?" Cody says, his teeth obviously chattering under his helmet. 

"Probably not someone in their right mind," Obi-Wan smiles. "I suppose it's a desolate location. The chances of being found are very slim." 

"Unless a Seppie ship crashes into you. From the looks of the construction, this place has been around for far longer than the ship." 

Obi-Wan has a bad feeling about this. Maybe it's skewed by his steadily bleeding wound, but it just seems strange to him that a ship would crash right on top of some sort of secret tunnel. All of Hoth and it reveals this? 

Suddenly the lights flicker to life, revealing the tunnel opens up ahead of them into a larger area. He and Cody look up and behind them in surprise. 

"What are the odds that was Rex and General Skywalker?" Cody asks, tightening his grip on his blaster. 

"I'm optimistic, though, I don't suggest waiting around to find out." Obi-Wan is curious where all of this is leading. They approach the large area, which turns out to be a massive rotunda made entirely of carefully sculpted ice. It's rather grandiose in appearance, but not in practice as his eyes are diverted from the gorgeous ceiling to the remainder of the room. He would expect to see a grand ballroom of sorts, perhaps a dual-staircase traversing delicately down the sides of the slick walls, but no such hidden beauty lies before them. 

It's a lab. Operational as of recently from the looks of it. Various tables cluttered with beakers and chemicals make a large U shape in the center of the room, surrounding what seems to be a primitive prototype of a bacta tank. 

Most disturbing of all, a tilt-table is bolted to the ground off to the side, its durasteel restraints unlocked, but around the base lies the dark crimson of dried blood. Lots of blood. 

"Oh good," Obi-Wan says, sighing deeply. The lab of a mad scientist is not at all what he expected to find (they must be crazy to set up on Hoth of all places). He is unwillingly reminded of a particularly sensitive portion of his padawan years where Qui-Gon was abducted by Jenna Zan Arbor to try and figure out the scientific basis of Jedi powers. He was tortured, his blood drained so he was kept on the very brink of death in hopes for her to study Force healing. 

She also took Anakin once. Escaped yet again. Every time they come close to finding her, she manages to slip away. Though it has been years since she was committed to the cause of figuring out how the Force works, he is still uneasy by what he sees. He can't deny the similarities in the set-ups. 

Cody walks further into the cavern carefully, but Obi-Wan suddenly feeling a bit weak decides to stay back and watch the tunnel entrance. He watches as the clone commander takes a holovid of the scene, careful to step over the puddles of blood.

"Hard to tell with the cold," Cody says as he finishes his assessment. "But I'd say it's been abandoned about a week." 

"Ship crash probably scared them off... Whoever it is." 

Cody bends down to take a sample of the blood, but in Obi-Wan's vision there seem to be two of him. He is quite sure they didn't bring a second 212th member though. 

Footsteps echo through the tunnel, and his instincts kick in. He grabs his lightsaber, igniting it and whirling around to meet whoever runs after them. The Force is murky now, only confusing him more. Two figures appear from the dim lighting, one in armor and the other with floppy brown hair. Obi-Wan blinks, taking a staggering step forward. 

"Master?" he mutters, his lightsaber dropping to his side and rolling away from him. 

"Obi-Wan?" the man yells, his name echoing multiple times through the chamber. 

"Master watch out! It's Arbor!" 

"Obi-Wan!" 

He's on his knees, vision tunneling. A hand rests on his back, carefully yet frantically tugging at him to look up but his head is heavy. 

"I'm fine," he says as his world is turned upside down and now he's staring at the beautiful ceiling, which is very quickly fading away. "I'm okay." 

**Author's Note:**

> We're mixing it up! The next three prompts will all be within this plotline, but I am going to try to make them standalone as well. In honor of the snowstorm that has trapped me in my apartment for the day, we find ourselves on Hoth. Nothing every good happens on Hoth.


End file.
